Thursday, Sept. 11, 1997 | 11:14 a.m.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Jeffrey Campbell, 35, a friend and barber of former NBA star Dominique Wilkins, in connection with a casino chip theft during a melee at the MGM Grand.
The warrant, issued Wednesday, charges Campbell, a Quincy, Mass., resident, with felony grand larceny in the theft of at least one $5,000 chip from the MGM Grand following the June 28 heavyweight championship rematch between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.
Campbell was seen sitting with Wilkins and New York Knicks player Chris Childs when what witnesses described as gunshots rang out. In the ensuing panic, which turned into a stampede through the casino, tables were turned over and chips strewn all over the floor, said Scott Mitchell, chief deputy district attorney.
Keith Copher, chief of the enforcement division of the state Gaming Control Board, told the SUN several weeks ago that one person was captured on surveillance videotape taking chips. Another person, he said, was behind a table and part of the group. While the second person reached for the chip tray, his hand was blocked and there was no way to determine whether his hand came out of the tray with chips, Copher said.
Copher also indicated that his office had contacted the players' NBA agents and also had made an attempt to contact the players to give them an opportunity to explain what had happened. A few weeks later, however, he said it was being treated as a criminal investigation because they had received no response from the people they had contacted.
"He's (Campbell) the only one we have criminal evidence on," Mitchell said, adding that he "doubted" if anyone else would be charged.
"The evidence we have before us right now has been evaluated and we've only charged Campbell," he said. "It's possible, of course, if witnesses come forward we're not aware of right now. At this point we don't have sufficient evidence to charge anyone else."
archive
